It's Your Money!

This page is filled with examples of design flaws and shoddy workmanship.  However "funny" they may seem they are real and real people spent real money on them thinking they were getting a quality bagpipe.  I've done my best to not reveal the makers.  Suffice to say that they're all still in business and they all make the same outrageous claims.  Yes, some of the big names are represented below.   In the example immediately below, note how the combing is high above the beading.  Other than looking odd, this exposes the delicate teeth of the combing to damage.  Properly applied, the top of the bead should be in line with the combing.

Does the example below look like something of quality?  Do you think the maker had any respect for the customer, the trade, or the instrument?

Oh this is nice!  Let's tear up the combing, slap on some syrup, and ship this out.   Wait, it gets better!

Ad-nauseam.  Still another maker tearing combs.  No big deal...or is it?

Here is a bagpipe (below) with a multitude of flaws.  (a) Look at that combing.  What did the guy use?  A rake?  Look at the tool marks.  Now look at the fit (d) between the ferrule and the wood.  The mount is not squared off to allow the drone to close and the bead cut into the mount is smaller than the OD of the ferrule.  These all add up to a poor quality bagpipe.  Is this really what you want to spend your money on?

Here's the ring from the same bagpipe.  Need I say more?

Here we have an odd design feature.  Usually the diameter of the cut on a projecting mount should be the same as the outside diameter of the ferrule.  This is a small item however as you can see in the "red ferrule" picture, the ferrule is not faced properly with the wood.  Closing the drone would result in the ferrule cutting into the projecting mount.  The ferrule has the potential to damage the top of the projecting mount.  Also, the exposed edge of the ferrule will catch on materials, scratch surfaces, and cut items.

See the ferrule extending beyond the wood?  How did this happen?  Easy.  This CNC bagpipe was assembled by someone who didn't know any better.  The entire bagpipe was assembled like a tinkertoy.  Pity.

Here's a beauty and don't laugh!  This might be your bagpipe!  Nice bore.   This could be a modern art masterpiece!   Makes you wonder how they could do that, eh?

Let's see how blatant we can be.... or how stupid the customer can be. Let's not bother finishing this tuning pin and let's see if anybody notices!

No, we don't thread our projecting mounts on.  We slap on some glue and hope they don't fall apart until it's the customer's problem.  We even wrap some hemp around the pin to make them extra-secure!

Now what is this?  The material between the wood and where the ring goes is referred to as "heel balm" in the industry.  It's used to build up surfaces that have been turned down too much.  Probably a mixture of African Blackwood and glue.  In the old days they'd actually thread a spacer into place.  I guess this is easier and works just as well!

This nice ribbon-effect is achieved by using dull tools at bad angles and allowing the tool to "chatter" as it cuts.  Monkey's can be taught better turning skills.

Here's a favorite of mine.  The turner almost cut the tenon off!  Rather than take the time to repair or re-make this piece, the maker simply hemped it up and sent it to America.  I guess that they were too busy making all those bagpipes and winning all those medals to care about something like this.  The owner asked me what to do.  What would you do?

This is a great picture below.  This is a vintage bagpipe, made by Henry Starck, The Late Wm. Ross, London.  Somebody has been up inside the tuning chambers for reasons that escape me.  The result is obvious if you study the picture below.  The bores are all slightly off-center.

This is nice!  Purchased new as a "name" bagpipe this came into the shop for some work.  Look at the wood inside.  No, it isn't African Blackwood!  The "maker" claims that it's not his bagpipe.  The dealer isn't sure but at least has offered the owner some compensation.  My guess is that they were made in Pakistan.

The pictures below are something you don't see that often...wormholes!  And the reason you don't see it that often is because the makers guilty of using wood with wormholes hide it well!  They use inferior wood, pack the worm holes with blackwood dust and shellac, turn them down and apply a heavy urethane-based finish to hold everything together.  Again, this shows great disrespect for both the instrument and the consumer. And yes, these pictures are from a "respected" bagpipe.  These were just a few of the many holes I discovered throughout this particular set.

Here's something pretty horrific.  This piper played his bagpipe for about ten years and always thought that it was hard to play.  No small reason!  This stock contains a factory-original flaw.  It's a gap in the wood that you could drive a train through!  You can see the syrupy finish reaching down into the gap, authenticating its originality!

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